Antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of methanolic extract of Indian sacred grove Gymnostachyum febrifugum Benth. root

The methanolic extract of root from Gymnostachyum febrifugum was analyzed for the quantification of total phenolics, tannins and flavonoids. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using various free radical scavenging assays and antibacterial activity against clinically important bacterial strains. Free radical scavenging assays such as hydroxyl, superoxide anion radicals, 2,2- diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays were performed. Itwas observed that the extract effectively scavenged hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals. It also scavenges DPPH and ABTS radicals. All the concentrations of root extract showed free radical scavenging and antioxidant power and the preventive effects were in a dose-dependent manner. Those various antioxidant activities werecompared to standard antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and α-tocopherol. The agar disk diffusion method was used to study the antibacterial activity of G. febrifugum methanol extract of root against five bacterial strains.